When It Falls

by

Zero 7

Edit

I've recently concluded that music is ruining my life. I'm addicted to it, it owns me in the car, wakes me and pushes me into the shower in the morning, even influences what I wear. I have a hard time concentrating on anything of significance when I'm listening to music. And I need to think sometimes!

That's where ambient music could be saving me.

The jury is still out on Ambient, but I have made a deliberate attempt to move away from RnB, Rap, Rock, and most Alternative when I need to really use my brain. Ambient music is now canvassing the background in my home, my office (not ready to let into the car yet), and I'm loving it. It sounds like what you'd hear at a W Hotel in the bar, or at the Redwood Room in San Francisco. Just plain cool. You want to grab a Martini, sink into a deep red velvet couch, and just chill.

Of the dozen or so Ambient bands I researched and listened to, Zero 7 is my favorite by far. This new release is better than their first (Simple Things) in my objective "newbie" opinion. The track titled "Home" with vocals by Tina Dico is one of my favorite new songs, also, Sia Furler delivers one of the juiciest vocals on the album in "Somersault".

I've heard allot of comparisons with the group Air, allot of "who knocked who off" type stuff. I haven't checked them out yet, but after listening to this album, who cares? Zero 7 has crafted a work of art that will have you loving each song at first listen...

...and that's quite a feat. It usually takes at least a few listens to prime my interest.

Hope this helped...

Zero 7 are a pair of exceptional British producers who not only create their own music, but also have remixed several songs for other artists. Given their laidback ambient tendencies, they're often unfairly dismissed as the UK's answer to Air. However, unlike most chillout artists, Zero 7 have repeated and continued successes.

The CD cover, which reminds me of an early 1970s attempt to mimic the graphic style of Peter Max, perfectly hints at the CD's contents. This CD consists of mostly classic soul and r&b influenced ambient pop, with a strong retro vibe. There's a definite soundtrack vibe to these songs; it's easy to imagine them in a film or TV show. The high point comes in "Passing By," where both a clavinet and electric guitar play very nicely off Sophie Barker's lead vocals. It's worthy of a Norah Jones track.

On the downside, while all the jazzy tracks are flawlessly produced, few of them truly leap out of the speakers as memorable. The result is a consistently pleasing CD, but one that's hard to claim is essential. It's still better and more tastefully produced than most downtempo pop of the last year or so, but this is a CD that will appeal mainly to prior Zero 7 converts.